The driving force behind the NSG is the Bretton Woods Bandits and their vassals; and the driving principle of the NSG is white supremacist and therefore monotheist – What I am, no one else should be; what I have, no one else should have.

Cutting through the maze of information and disinformation, the real issues surrounding the Koodankulam nuclear power project are –

– America’s desperation to halt the project for geopolitical reasons

– India is in partnership with Russia (the Generic Church’s persistent anti-Christ) to develop the Koodankulam site (several placards at the protest gathering were anti-Russia and not anti-nuclear power)

– If not stopped now Koodankulam may emerge as one of India’s largest nuclear plants with the capacity to generate 9200 MWe or 9.2 GW of power

– India has already closed the fuel cycle at Kalpakkam and in the near future may yet render the NSG mafia irrelevant to national requirement for reactors and reactor fuel

– If India tides over the current deficit of overall national power requirement through short-term and interim arrangements by taking the less travelled light water, enriched uranium road, while simultaneously pursuing its indigenous nuclear programme via the heavy water, plutonium and thorium, fast-breeder path, the NSG may become almost certainly irrelevant to India’s nuclear programme, civilian or military

– Therefore lure India into the Indo-US nuclear deal to cut ice with the NSG mafia, lure India away (hopefully) from her purely indigenous, wholly self-reliant nuclear programme with the promise of short-term benefits of uninterrupted supply of enriched uranium; promises which can and will be broken going by President Obama’s letter to the US Congress seeking approval for the Indo-US Nuclear deal where the American President stated that American assurances of fuel supply to India are not legally binding(meaning when, not if, America reneges on its contract to supply India with reactor fuel, India will have no case or avenues for redress)

– The idea behind leading India down the proverbial garden path to make this prohibitively expensive detour is to delay progress (again hopefully) on the fast breeder reactor (FBR) front

– Will buy America and other members of the NSG time to create and instigate a violent anti-nuclear front in the local villages around Koodankulam; the PIL filed by the anti-nuclear mafia in the Supreme Court calling for a total halt to India’s civil nuclear programme, which will also halt all work on the fast-breeder front, thus perfectly serves the American agenda

– The ominous trend of foreign-funded Christian padris and churches jumping into the anti-nuclear campaign and descending hordes of foreign environmental and anti-nuclear activists is a pointer in the direction of geopolitical machinations by the Bretton Woods Bandits

– Senior officials from Koodankulam (Station Director, Site Director and Chief Engineer) indicated as much during the course of a press meet in Chennai last month when they made a passing reference to significant dislocation (perhaps permanently) of Russian and Ukrainian scientists, engineers and other personnel working on the site leading to cost overrun and further delay in commissioning the reactors

The inference was unambiguous; if there is no end to the standoff at Koodankulam in the near future and if the sub-text of the standoff is actually anti-Russian and not anti-nuclear, then Russia may well opt out of Koodankulam altogether and not build the four reactors, each with the capacity to generate 1000 MW of power, agreed upon in the 2008 Memorandum of Intent signed by both countries.

As America and Europe sink deeper and deeper into recession and economic depression, the naked desperation of the Bretton Woods Bandits to evict Russia from Koodankulam is becoming too obvious to be missed.

At a public meeting in Chennai organized by the Tamil Nadu Congress party a few days ago, Minister of State in the PMO, V. Narayanaswamy, the point-person coordinating talks among all parties – state government, central government and the villages around Koodankulam, remarked that foreign anti-nuclear intruders/activists stirring spittle in Koodankulam were all citizens from America, Finland, France, Australia and Germany among others; what he did not say intentionally or otherwise was that these protestors were all from countries of the NSG.

The French reactors which will come up in Jaitapur in Maharashtra also come with fuel supply guarantee for 25 years. The Russian reactors already up and waiting to become critical in Koodankulam too comes with fuel supply guarantee for 20 years.

Currently, America is nowhere in the picture – either as builder of reactors or as fuel supplier from the enriched uranium NSG cartel. The last minute, stage-managed protests at Koodankulam are therefore only last-ditch attempts by the Bretton Woods Bandits to coerce the Indian government to give them a share in the Indian nuclear pie on their terms.

America wants India to amend/dilute/bend/circumvent/ the Civilian Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010; altering a comma or a full-stop in effect nullifies the Act and Dr. Manmohan Singh stated as much to US President Obama in Bali in November 2011 when they met on the sidelines of the India-ASEAN and East Asia Summits.

The Prime Minister made it clear to the American President that any changes to the Act will have to be done within the defined parameters of the Act as passed by Parliament, and that the government had no power to amend it without parliament sanction.

And so the poor dog had none.

The Civilian Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010 thus remains intact. In the event of an accident involving nuclear reactors either because of faulty design, faulty technology or any other cause, the Indian parliament sagaciously refused to cap the extent of liability that will be borne by foreign companies selling nuclear reactors and associated technology to India.

Chapter 2, Insurance and financial security –

(1) The operator shall take out an insurance policy or financial security or a combination of both in accordance with section 8 of the Act.

(2) The financial security referred to in sub-rule (1) shall be irrevocable and shall continue till removal of all spent fuel from the spent fuel storage pool nuclear of the installation after removal thereof from the reactor core.

(3) Shares or bonds or instruments constituting financial security shall be pledged to Central Government and remain so pledged till decommissioning of the plant and a security margin of 1:1.33 be maintained during pledge and in the event of any shortfall in security so calculated shall be immediately made good by the operator by providing insurance or additional financial security to the extent of shortfall.

(4) Nothing in this rule shall prevent a group of operators to enter into a joint arrangement of financial security providing for contribution towards such security in proportion to their individual installed capacity in thermal megawatts.

(5) The provisions of this rule shall not apply to a nuclear installation owned by the Central Government. (Notification of Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Rules, Issued Gazette of India Extraordinary, November 11, 2011. http://www.dae.gov.in/rules/liab_rules.pdf)

America wants India to treat nuclear reactors like washing machines which come with a warranty for 2 years when all service is free and faulty components are replaced without cost to the customer. At the end of two years the company is no longer responsible for the washing machine in any manner or for any damage that may be subsequently caused.

India’s Civilian Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010 refused to treat nuclear reactors like washing machines and refused to treat nuclear liability like a product warranty for a fixed time and also refused to place a cap on financial liability.

Russia’s Atomstroyexport came to India long before the CNLD Act 2010 and subsequent to the Act, placed no new conditions upon India. Besides Russia, France is the only country with which India has signed a contract for developing nuclear plants in the country. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh signed an agreement on December 6, 2010 for the French industrial conglomerate Areva SA to construct two reactors at Jaitapur, Maharashtra.

Considering that Areva’s 1600 MW reactor in Olkiluoto, Finland, has still not been completed and is already suffering huge cost and time over-runs, the Indian government’s decision to allow France to take a bite from the Indian nuclear pie is intriguing, not to say questionable. Did France twist India’s arms?

According to an article, titled “Mass Leak of Client Data Rattles Swiss Banking” by David Gauthier-Villars and Deborah Ball (The Wall Street Journal, July 2010), two employees of HSBC — Herve Falciani and Georgina Mikhael — had sent emails more than two years ago to tax authorities across Europe.

Accordingly, they claimed that they could provide a large list of clients of a Swiss-based private bank. The emails were sent to Germany and the French investigating authorities.

HSBC officials in turn allege that Falciani copied thousands of files of wealthy clients of its Swiss private-banking arm.

Interestingly, the French got the data when its police raided Falciani’s residence at the behest of the Swiss authorities who had, in turn, launched an investigation into the alleged violations of banking secrecy back in Switzerland.

Crucially, the French sent copies of the data to Switzerland, but kept back the original files to pursue possible tax cheats.

Expectedly, the French authorities found thousands of accounts and bank-transfer details. Sifting the data, apparently the file contained data on about 79,000 clients and 20,000 companies!

The list includes more than 8,000 French, about 1,500 Americans and as many British residents.

Subsequently, the French have reportedly made available this data to governments across the world for possible pursuits of their tax cheats.

If press reports are to be believed that included the Indian government too as there were allegedly several hundred Indian names in the list.

While the choice of Areva SA may raise eyebrows and questions, Russia’s Atomstroyexport has not only completed the two reactors in Koodankulam but the reactors can be commissioned anytime the TN state government allows it to happen. It is Jayalalithaa’s government and not the people in and around Koodankulam and Idinthakarai who pose the biggest obstacle to the reactors going critical.

This is the real story behind the so-called people’s protests in Koodankulam. The first unit should have been commissioned in December 2009 and the second in March 2010; the current projections, if Jayalalithaa through divine intervention sees the light of wisdom, is between March and June 2012.

What knowledgeable circles know, including the media, but are unwilling to speak out is that Jayalalithaa, the incumbent Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, has declared in so many words that she intends to be a part of the problem and not the solution to the standoff; this notwithstanding the fact that the two reactors in Koodankulam which are ready to be commissioned will generate 4800 MW of power! Jayalalithaa has in fact asked for all work at Koodankulam to be stopped until such time the central government has allayed the fears of the people.

Unasked questions –

1. Why is Jayalalithaa placing the entire onus of responsibility to allay some of the genuine fears of the local populace only on the central government?

2. Worse, why have the scientists, engineers, experts and other workers in Koodankulam been left to fend for themselves as if it is they who have everything to win or lose?

3. If despite extensive interactions by the committee constituted by the central government and the scientists at Koodankulam with the residents and people in the local villages, the protests have not ended does it not mean that the continuing protests have little to do with genuine fears and more to do with extraneous considerations?

4. Why did the state government not instruct the police to provide security to the workers at Koodankulam and in fact exposed them to violence unleashed by the protestors against them and prevented them from entering the site?

5. Does this not imply that Jayalalithaa by refusing to provide security to the workers, sent them the signal that if they valued their life, they should not attempt to enter the Koodankulam site for work?

6. Does this also not imply that Jayalalithaa has made common cause with the Church and brought all work at Koodankulam to a grinding halt which only serves American geopolitical interests?

7. What exactly is the nature of the common interest or nexus between Jayalalithaa, the Church and the US-led NSG?

The writer has drawn repeated attention in the last ten years to the fact that Tamil separatism in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu is a Christian agenda and that Tamil Eelam, like East Timor, will be a Christian state. It is not a coincidence of life that south of Cuddalore almost every single fishing hamlet in TN is Christian. The Church controls a vast section of TN’s coastal populace.

If paralysing the Madras High Court in the name of Sri Lankan Tamils and for LTTE chief Prabhakaran for the better part of 2008 and 2009 was the Brown Church’s first major public political success, bringing all work at Koodankulam to a grinding halt and holding the people of Tamil Nadu and the central government hostage to their blackmail is the Church’s second major political success.

The same forces –

Brown Church, Dravidian splinter parties, some infamous film personalities, the same human rights organizations and activists who also don the cap of anti-nuclear propagandists – which propagate the cause of Tamil Eelam and destructive Tamil chauvinism are also behind the anti-Koodankulam nuclear power protests.

And behind them all is the furtive, lurking presence of the White Generic Church – American and European churches, governments and international organizations.

Military might, and economic prosperity deriving from consistent economic growth and stability, determines national clout in world affairs, and meeting growing domestic and industrial energy requirements is the key for any growing economy. Some experts maintain that the economy has to grow 10% every year for 8% growth in GDP.

India needs 1,00,060 MWe of power while we are generating only 1, 00, 034 MWe. Of this –

– 60% is Thermal power which uses coal, diesel and natural gas as fuel

– 25% is Hydro

– 7% is from non-conventional sourceslike solar, wind and bio-gas; and

– 2.9% is nuclear

World average for nuclear power is 20%

– 75% of all France’s power requirements is met by nuclear energy

– 20% US

– 18% UK

– 12% Germany; and

– 5% China

In addition to its already existing and functioning nuclear reactors, China has 20 new nuclear reactors at an advanced stage of development while another 15 are in the offing. India’s GDP and nuclear capability – nuclear power generation and nuclear defence arsenal will play a critical role in deciding India’s place in global geopolitics.

All this is well-known to Jayalalithaa, just as she knows how much power Tamil Nadu needs and how much power Tamil Nadu has and the extent of the deficit. The question that the media and the nuclear establishment, particularly the garrulous M.R. Srinivasan, are not asking Jayalalithaa and therefore not compelling her to respond, is why is she denying the people of Tamil Nadu their energy requirement by calling for all work at Koodankulam to be stopped.

It is imperative that all facts about civilian nuclear programme around the world and India’s energy requirements be placed before the nation in terms of hard numbers.

Per capita power consumption

– National per capita consumption – 503 units

– China – 2500 units

– America – 13,000 units

– Tamil Nadu – 900 units

India’s nuclear reactor history so far

– India has 20 nuclear power plants

– Kaiga, Karnataka – 4

– Kakrapar, Gujarat – 2

– Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu – 2

– Narora, Uttar Pradesh – 2

– Rawatbhatta, Rajasthan – 6

– Tarapur, Maharashtra – 4

– Total power generated from 20 nuclear reactors – 4780 MW

Nuclear units under construction – 9

– Kalpakkam – 1

– Koodankulam – 2

– Kakrapar – 2

– Rawatbhatta – 2

– Banswara, Rajasthan – 2

– Total power that will be generated upon completion – 6700 MW

Facts about Tamil Nadu’s energy requirements and power generating capabilities

– Tamil Nadu needs – 12000 MW

– Tamil Nadu generates – 7000 MW

– Power from central grid – 2825 MW

– Deficit in meeting state requirement – 5000 MW

Given the fact that the two nuclear reactors ready for commissioning in Koodankulam will generate 4800 MW power, Jayalalithaa owes the people of Tamil Nadu an explanation for denying them access to much needed power. People of Chennai suffer one hour power cut seven days of the week, while some cities and towns suffer six to seven hours power cut every day. As things stand the situation does not look likely to improve.

The Generic Church does not want India’s nuclear programme – civil and military to be indigenous, independent and self-reliant. It would ideally like India’s indigenous nuclear programme, particularly the fast breeder reactor centric nuclear programme to be stalled permanently, and there are elements within India’s nuclear scientific community and elements in our bureaucracy which shamefully want the same. These have to be isolated and marginalised.

The US wants India to buy reactors and enriched uranium from the NSG so that it can send the intrusive IAEA into India for inspection, verification and control; we can ill afford to forget Hans Blix or Mohammed El-Baradei.

India’s Brown Church (Catholic, Protestant, Pentecostal, New Life and every other denomination and cult) will do exactly what the White Church wants. The people of Tamil Nadu have the right to know how Jayalalithaa perceives her role in the Generic Church scripted plot to evict Russia from Koodankulam.

one cant disagree with author. the ‘US and its allies’ are international nuclear bully. they want things as per their national interest. Church and NGO are their extra governmental political tools, our leadership doesnt understand it. Jayalalitha should seeit as a major boost to her state. the Fast breed reactor is a distant but a reality we will be achieve that and before any western nation. why we went for france only because they are providing us latest reactor tech much needed for FBR which will lead to thorium based FBR, India has largest thorium deposit in world. we will be sitting on energy gold mine which west doesnt want.

Rohit

29 Nov 2011

The rotten Kkangress has no qualms about toppling state govts.; it has a long, proven track record. The rotten Kkangress had no qualms lathi-charging and beating a woman to death in Sw. Ramdev’s entourage. But it has qualms doing anything here at Koodankulm because the rotten, criminal Church is in the way. Ditto for taking action against Maoists. Imagine airlifting a slain Maoist out of “compassion” and displaying the responsible police officers’ name in the papers. The only thing remaining is a state ceremony with full honours!

seadog4227

29 Nov 2011

Dear Smt Radha ji brilliant informative article.

LSK

29 Nov 2011

Two points – India’s nuclear power is 2.9% of total power generation. Second – Sergei Ryzhov, the chief designer of the light water VVER nuclear reactors built by Russia in foreign countries, including India, was among those killed in the plane crash in Russia that claimed at least 44 lives in June 2011. Russia has built many nuclear power plants abroad with the VVER reactor, including one in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. The whole leadership of the designers units of Russia’s state nuclear corporation was killed when a Tu-134 passenger plane crash landed in the northern republic of Karelia.

Radha Rajan

29 Nov 2011

I don’t know how deep Radha Rajan has gone into the energy issue and why he has not qualified his political analysis of Kudankoolum opposition by stating that the nuclear is the worst energy option for densely populated India and for the world at large. ## 12-13 years ago, Dr Arjun Makhijani was invited to help planners with India’s energy strategy [he was then energy advisor to Clinton] and he said that since 36% T&D losses, it should first upgrade its T&D network and end users’ equipment. That would save 27-30% of total electricity generated, leaving 6-7% normal T&D losses, at a total cost of 100 US dollar per Kw of installed capacity [which comes to 100000 dollar per MWe]. And secondly, he had warned against chosing the nuclear and coal options, citing resource limitations and geo-politics as the main reasons. And then he had added that no nuclear reactor is safe. He later came out with detailed analysis of the nuclear option in his “Carbon Free, Nuclear Free.” ### I analysed Working Group papers from the Planning Commission [four volumes] and it reads more like as if a case was being built for coal-hydro-nuclear. These four volumes do not even look into the economics of other renewable options. Not even as long term solutions; and allocated 2 million dollars for R&D over 2012-2017. Therefore, I am happy that Rajan has exposed the role of White Christian Church, and they are active in all trouble spots, including the sensitive Northeast. But I am not happy because he appears to support the nuclear option. This option is based on failed science. Please note that Indian reactors have mean capacity factor of about 62% against 93% of American reactors, I sent this data to Arnie Gunderson and he was shocked. Around our 20 nuclear reactors live 230 million rural people; Delhi and Mumbai are within 100 kilometres of six reactors. So, about 250 million folks are getting their daily dose of radiation. In the event of any major accident, the Indian Government will have no option except to let people die of radiation sickness. Perhaps that is the option they like; perhaps the author are glossed over that option uncritically.

Arun

29 Nov 2011

Well researched article on politics of atomic power. Seems like the imperial racist white church treats the followers of orthodox church of the east europe like sort of pagans. No matter however christian the russians could be, seems like russia is still anathema and could not fit into the scheme of things of white church. What is conspicuously absent in the article is the role of the evil forces represented by NGOs which are behind every other activity against the welfare and sovereignty of the country.

krishnakumar

29 Nov 2011

Sergei Ryzhov and the other nuclear reactor design experts were killed by the same forces that killed Homi Bhabha in the exact same way and for the same reasons.

We must make it clear to our people that India can’t escape from being a major nuclear power generating nation.We must move forward in this direction irrespective of the opposition from this or that church or this or that lady or a gent.As planned, we must ensure that we reach the target of generating 20% of our electric power through nuclear route by 2020.With such fifth columnists among us, this appears difficult but we must not give up.

Excellent research work. All credit to the author. The ‘jholawallahs’ and the ‘church sponsored’ anti-Koodankulam protestors have been citing the example of the USA not having constructed any new nuke power generating facility post ‘Three Mile Island’ meltdown. They are WRONG. A report in the newspaper – Seattle Times – of 26 Nov and entitled : “U.S. to restart construction of nuclear reactors”, stated: “After 34 years, the United States is expected to resume construction of nuclear reactors by the end of the year, and Toshiba will export turbine equipment for the reactors to the U.S. early next month”. It added : ” According to sources, construction will begin by year-end on the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors of the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Georgia and the Nos. 2 and 3 reactors of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Generating Station in South Carolina. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to shortly approve the construction and operation of the reactors, which have been designed by Westinghouse, a subsidiary of Toshiba.The reactors to be constructed are of the AP1000 type, an advanced 1,100-megawatt pressurized water reactor, and are targeted to go into operation in 2016 at the earliest”. So, any answers Mr.Uthay Kumar & Father Jerome ?!! I maintain that all the ‘jholawallahs’ who come in the way of India’s development, need to be packed off to the ‘salubrious heights’ of Siachen without protective clothing !! JAI HO !!

H.Balakrishnan

30 Nov 2011

In the past four years, FOUR Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated, and there have been reports of mysterious blasts at some of the nuclear facilities. The murders began with Ardeshin Hassonpour’s death in 2007. Then Massoud Ali Mohammad was shot outside his home in Jan 2010; Darioush Rezaeinejad was shot outside daughter’s kindergarten school in July 2011; he was working on a trigger for a nuclear weapon. Fereydoon Abbasi, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, barely survived a car bomb under his car, but the attack took the life of Majid Shahriari [Nov 2010]. Iran blames Israel, the United States and Britain. ### Indians who think our interests lie in being Toadies of the White @@@@ are fifth column.

Patna, Nov 29 (PTI) BJP leader Uma Bharti today said that Janata Party president Subramanian Swami was prime ministerial material, but clarified that it was her personal opinion. “Swami is prime ministerial material because of his integrity and honesty in the manner that he has pursued the 2G Spectrum scam,” Bharti said. Bharti, however, clarified that it was her personal view and the BJP was at liberty to pick a prime ministerial candidate of its choice. Speaking about the decision by the UPA to open up FDI in retail, she said “jab loktantra mein janata ki awaz nahi suni jati hai to woh thoktantra ka istemal karten hai. (The people will attack if their voices in a democracy is not heard),” she told reporters at a function here. Bharti also criticised the UPA government for delay in declaring the Ganga as a national river and said that it was as emotive to the people as opening of the retail sector to FDI.

CHENNAI: The residences and business premises of D. Duraimurugan, former law minister in the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, and those of his close relatives were raided Thursday on charges of amassing wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income, officials said.

He is the sixth DMK minister to come under the vigilance scanner.The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) conducted the raids at his residence here and also his business premises.Earlier, the agency raided the residences and office premises of K.N. Nehru, T.M. Anbarasan, K. Ponmudi, N. Suresh Rajan and M.R.K. Panneerselvam.

TIRUMALA: Over hundred diamonds were found in the Srivari hundi, when the temple parakamani staff took out the offerings from the hundi for counting on Wednesday evening.

The temple authorities said that an unknown devotee has offered the diamonds whose value can be known only after examination by experts.Confirming the offering of diamonds by an unknown devotee, Tirumala JEO KS Srinivasa Raju said that the diamonds have been sent to the jewellery section of the TTD in Tirupati for estimating their value, as no such facility is available in the temple. According to temple sources, they have not witnessed precious diamonds being offered to Lord Venkateswara since 2000 when a devotee from Sri Lanka had donated a precious emerald. However, the last time diamonds were offered in such large quantity was in 1995.

Oct 14, 2011 Gandhinagar, Friday: Chief Minister inaugurates Asia’s biggest solar power plant in Kankrej World’s largest solar park to change face of arid north Gujarat region, Gujarat set to be the Solar Capital of the World – Narendra Modi Gandhinagar, Friday: Even as Gujarat Government has decided to harness renewable sources of energy to maximum possible extent to solve the nation’s power shortage, Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said the State is set to become the ‘Solar Capital of the World’.

He was inaugurating the 30 MW solar power project in near Gunthaw ada vill age in Kankrej taluka in Banaskantha district, bordering the Rann of Kutch. The plant set up by Mozer Baer Green Energy Company on 320- acre at a cost of Rs.465-crore in the private sector was commissioned in four months.

While the Centre could not start any solar plant even after announcing its solar power policy, Mr. Modi said, Gujarat has set up four such projects, including one at Charnaka.

Mr. Modi said the world’s largest solar park combining the vast stretches of land with ample supply of sunrays is also coming up in the region. The initiative should go a long way in solving the coal shortage. He said that Gujarat has already succeeded converting disasters into opportunities, as Kutch became the fastest growing district in the country during the last decade. Gujarat’s 1,600-km long coastline is humming with a number of seaports. And now it is converting the arid Kutch, Banaskantha and Patan districts into prosperous power producing regions.

He recalled that Gujarat was a power deficient state but today distributing 24-hour electricity to all the 18,000-odd villages in the state. With proper conservation and management of water and electricity, he said, Jyoti Gram Yojna has changed the socio-economic conditions of Gujarat, creating a mass awareness too.
While the Centre has been reduced to a power-corrupt government amidst zero development, Mr. Modi said, Gujarat has shown how power could be utilized for all all round growth. The state has undertaken new initiatives in recycling biomass and agro-waste.

Others present on the occasion included Social Justice Minister Fakirbhai Vaghela, Ministers of State Liladhar Vaghela and Parbat Patel, ex-MP Haribhai Chaudhry, MLAs and office-bearers.
October 14, 2011

Denouncing the attack on Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, Anna Hazare today said there was no place for violence in a democracy.

RALEGAN SIDDHI/NEW DELHI: Denouncing the attack on Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, Anna Hazare today said there was no place for violence in a democracy.

He, however, asked the government to take appropriate measures to keep public anger under check. “There is no place for violence in democracy. I condemn the attack,” Hazare told reporters here.

“However, the government has to think about how to keep the anger of the masses under check. The people are angry. There is corruption and price rise….there is the issue of Jan Lokpal….people are angry over so many things,” he said.

When a reporter pointed out that BJP leader Yashwant Sinha had warned of violence if price rise went unchecked, Hazare said,”There should not be violence in a democracy.”

Kiran Bedi condemns assault

Team Anna member Kiran Bedi today condemned the attack on agriculture minister Sharad Pawar but said one should analyse why such things happen to public functionaries.

“While condemning assault on public functionaries, (one) needs to analyse why is this happening and what must done to contain this… “Assault on public functionaries calls for serious reflection at all levels of society including media forums,” Bedi said in a tweet.

At public function here, Pawar was slapped by a youth who claimed he was angry with corruption and price rise.

Pawar was slapped by Harvinder Singh, a transporter in his thirties who had assaulted former Telecom Minister Sukhram outside Rohini Court on Saturday after he was sentenced in a corruption case.

Political parties condemn incident

The incident of slapping of Union Minister Sharad Pawar today evoked wide condemnation from the political class, even as some opposition leaders warned the government that such incidents may increase if it did not take adequate steps to curb rising prices.

Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, who was coming out of Parliament rushed to see her father after hearing about the incident.

Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi blamed BJP for the “unfortunate” incident saying, “the incident was a result of the opposition party leader’s statement made to incite the public.

“If the opposition party says that people will resort to violence due to rising prices, it means they are inciting the people of the country… If a political party incites the public like this, then it will have such results.”

Alvi said, “all political parties and their leaders should be very careful in giving their statements,” as they weaken democracy.

BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad, while condemning the incident said it is unfortunate that Congress feels that the opposition party is trying to incite the public. “It is not proper. It should not have happened. It is a security breach,” he told reporters outside Parliament.